


Touch The Stars

by Challenger2011



Series: Adrenaline [2]
Category: Project Blue Book (TV)
Genre: Allen Finally Realizes They're Friends, I Talk Way Too Much About Planes, No Sex With A Plane, Request Fill, aircraft porn, soft bois, weirdos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-26 15:56:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18182657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Challenger2011/pseuds/Challenger2011
Summary: There's a solar eclipse happening and it's raining, Captain Quinn has a solution. Soft Boi realizations.Takes place BEFORE Angel.





	Touch The Stars

**Author's Note:**

> I know I focus a lot on the planes. Sorry.

Allen was anxious.

He wasn’t sure how he had let Quinn convince him of this, but here he was just before sunrise being strapped into Quinn’s F-86 Sabre Jet by a maintenance technician. The morning was still dark and the slight wind nipped across the tarmac giving Allen a chill through his borrowed bomber jacket. 

Arms raised to shoulder height, he let the voice of the tech wash over him as they explained why they were strapping his legs to the seat. Something about not losing his legs if ejected? The cockpit was feeling crowded already with the bulky coat and the ALSE harness he had donned before getting in and the straps over straps crossing his chest was starting to make him feel claustrophobic. Not to mention the tech practically doing a handstand into the footwell between Allen’s legs as he strapped Allen in.

“Is this ok?” the strap across his lap tightened with a jerk as the technician pulled the free end. Allen looked down at his lap to meet the man’s eyes and awkwardly nodded, his face flaming red.

Movement on the stand set up next to the aircraft instead of the regular ladder had Allen looking over. His eyes met Captain’s Quinn’s, the brown eyes dancing over a broad smile at Allen’s discomfort at the suggestive position of the tech.

“Getting comfy, Doc?”

Allen’s face heated even more. 

Quinn laughed and stepped around the tech’s legs to the front seat of the dual seater plane. The one they were using was a trainer jet for brand new pilots and incentive flights, not Quinn’s usual yellow striped plane. The Captain made the awkward move of getting into the cockpit look easy. One hand on the side and a small hop to swing both feet over the edge at the same time, he dropped straight into the seat with a thump, boots hitting the floor instead of climbing in one foot at a time onto the seat and lowering himself down. 

The plane bounced with his weight, the front oleo compressing and jostling the technician who was upside down from the waist up in Allen’s space. The tech shot an amused glance at the back of the front seat before pulling the last leg strap tight and pushing himself up out of the cramped space.

“Don’t break it too quick, sir.” Quinn turned the grin to the tech and gave a cheeky thumbs up.

Allen let his arms drop to his sides. He could see around Quinn’s seat at the gauges in the front and much of what the man was doing, figuring he was strapping himself in as he wiggled around. There was more room in the front, but it was more awkward because of the control column between your legs. Allen had spent a few minutes looking inside while waiting to get in and the sheer amount of gauges and buttons and switches intimidated him. A fair number he had no idea what they were for. He had no idea how Quinn managed to keep track of them all.

The same tech moved up the stand and leaned into Quinn’s space in the same awkward way he had done for Allen, checking the straps and the oxygen connection to Quinns helmet. Allen felt a little better knowing that it wasn’t just because they thought he was helpless.

Stepping back, the tech gave a thumbs up to Quinn, receiving another one in return and turned to do the same for Allen. He smiled, nerves rising again as the tech nodded at his return signal and grinned at him. Clattering back down the stand, it was quickly removed to a safe distance leaving the two men alone in the fighter in the dark. The floodlights on the buildings too far away to see clearly inside the plane. 

A burst of static came over his helmet as Quinn put his on, hand flicking a switch on the upper right side of the cockpit.

“Hey Doc, how’re you doing so far?” The sound was loud and clear in his ears but Allen had no idea how to respond. Quinn twisted around to look at him after a moment and Allen raised his hands in a universal “I don’t know” gesture, speaking it at the same time. The words sounded heavily muffled in his helmet and he was sure Quinn couldn't hear him.

“Oh, mics off.” Quinn looked back at the instrument panel for a second.

“Right side Doc, by the circuit panel. See the dial that says Mic?”

Allen scanned the right side, leaning close to see in the dim light. Two rows of circuit breakers came up the wall past Quinn’s seat into his space. Immediately behind them was a 3 setting dial with some thin knobs above it. The letters MIC underneath it.

“Turn it to HOT and push the knobs 1 and 2 above it back in.”

Allen did as told and the low background static in his helmet cleared. “Did that work?” He knew as soon as he asked that it had, the sound of his own voice no longer muffled by the helmet as it played through the speakers. Quinn gave a thumbs up over his own shoulder as a response.

Allen was beginning to realize the signal was used for everything, he’d been seeing it all morning. Pants are on? Thumbs up. Going to pee? Thumbs up. Plane was crashing? Thumbs up.

“What does ‘hot mic’ mean?” He could hear Quinn’s chuckle though the man didn’t look back.

“Means you don’t need to find a switch to talk, the mic stays on and you just talk normally. It only broadcasts between us though, not to tower.” Allen sighed in relief, he didn’t want everyone watching to hear him the whole time. He might make some decidedly unmanly noises if this ride went like their last did.

There was a click in his helmet before Quinn’s voice came back. It sounded lower in volume this time and Allen realized he must be talking to someone outside the jet.

“Chief, ready for ground power.”

“Roger.” 

The tech from before appeared in front of the wing on the left side dragging a long black hose. Just below Allen he opened a small panel in the side of the aircraft and plugged in the cable. Around Allen the cockpit lit up, the circuit breakers and switches all lit with their own tiny lights. Around the pilot he could see the instrument panel lighting up like a christmas tree, the gauges lit white and flashing red, orange and green lights scattered through the mess.

Quinn’s left hand brushed over the gauges and he spoke quietly, what must be his prestart checklist, low voice rumbling in Allen’s helmet calming his jangling nerves.

“Battery - 18, starter - off, weapons…..secure. Lights -”

Lights on the tips of the wings illuminated, green to Allen’s right and red on the left. A flashing white light behind his head lit the tops of the wings.

“Throttle - good.” 

Allen could see Quinn’s left hand moving the lever against the left side wall. 

“Flight controls?” It sounded like a question and Allen turned to look backwards as the plane shook a bit. The elevators on the tail were moving up and down and the ailerons at the ends of the wings lifted and dropped a few times.

“Check.” Allen huffed a bit in relief, hearing the sound be transmitted over the comms.

“Still good Doc?” was the response. Allen sighed.

“Remind me why I agreed to this again?”

A laugh. “Because it’s a solar eclipse and its cloudy today?”

“True,” Allen replied, looking up. The sky above was still black and difficult to make out but heavy clouds covered the entire State making this the only way to see it. Allen had been so despondent over it for the last few days that Quinn had finally got annoyed and told him he’d changed his monthly check ride for flight hours to that morning and got special permission to bring Allen along. And that Allen was going whether he liked it or not because Michael couldn’t listen to his moping for the next week if he missed it. 

The trainer jet had arrived a couple days ago and they would be the first to fly it out of it’s new home at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Allen had been alarmed and nervous about going back up into the air with the same pilot who had crashed the last plane they’d been in together but Quinn had promised not to do any crazy maneuvers. He’d slipped him a gravol as they got changed into their flight suits though, reigniting Allen’s nerves as he said that the jet was going to feel a lot different than the plane had on take off.

Allen even had 2 brand new barf bags in the thigh pockets of his flight suit. Just in case.

Allen almost missed the click again as Quinn’s voice came back on the outbound comms again. “Tower, check flight requesting start-up authorization.”

“Check flight authorized.”

Quinn’s left arm raised over the side of the jet, hand making an exaggerated fist and the marshaller readied his wands. Allen listened as the whine behind him got louder.

“3 percent”

A whoosh as Quinn’s left hand advanced the throttle a bit, it got louder at the quiet “6 percent.” The noise ramped up and the jet started to vibrate. Allen knew that was normal, but this whole experience to date had been so different than any other time he’d ever been on a plane.

“23 percent.” A click. “Chief, remove ground power.”

The technician appeared around the wing again, unplugging the black cable and closing the access panel.

“Tower, check flight hot on spot 6. Call sign Hollywood.”

Allen couldn’t help his laughter. “Your call sign is Hollywood?” Quinn leaned over to grin back at him, teeth flashing white in the dark though he didn’t respond, still speaking to the tower.

“Copy Hollywood.”

“Requesting taxi to the runway.”

“Permission granted. Taxi to runway, take off your discretion, no local traffic.”

Quinn’s voice came back over the headset on the local channel. “Mask on now Doc, we’re gunna get going.” A beeping came through the headset and Allen looked up to see the glass canopy coming down. He was mildly amused to recognize a rearview mirror that looked just like the one in his car attached to the forward end of the canopy as it closed with a thump and slid forward to lock in place.

Allen fumbled with the buckle of his mask in his anxiety for a few minutes as the jet started to roll forward. The vibration under him got more noticable and a heavy bang from the bottom of the fuselage made him jump and squeak into the mic.

“It's just the gear doors closing Doc so we don’t bang em as we roll. Nothing to worry about.”

The jet rolled smoothly along the apron to the taxiway, the blackness outside illuminated only by the blue lights that outlined the pavement. The sound of the engine fluctuated as Quinn gave short bursts of power with the throttle at his side. Allen could feel the sweat starting on his back as they rolled through the blackness, the white light on the bottom of the jet barely illuminating anything ahead of them. He couldn’t hear anything other than the engine. Everything felt claustrophobic again, the cockpit feeling like it was closing in on him again.

“Take a breath Doc. You don’t want to pass out on the ground. It’ll be better once we’re up.” 

Quinn’s voice cut through Allen’s fixation outside and he turned his eyes forward to the gauges over Quinn’s shoulder. The world came back as he calmed down, breathing slowing down, and he realized that he could actually see outside now, the clouds starting to lighten to a steel gray overhead. Reaching the end of the ramp, the jet made the turn to face down the runway and paused.

Quinn twisted again to look at Allen around the seat. His eyes were somber, not laughing at him like Allen had thought he might. “This is going to be the roughest part Doc. When we start, clench your stomach muscles tight, it’ll feel weird but the brace will help you breath. If you feel dizzy, let me know.” He waited until Allen nodded affirmative before turning around.

“I’ll take it slow this time. Here we go.”

Allen could see the Captain’s left hand push forward on the throttle, a seconds delay and the engine behind him built to a roar, the jet shaking with the power. The moment Quinn released the brake Allen was pushed hard back into the seat. The pressure on his chest built, stealing his breath, the jet rumbling and shaking across the slightly wavy pavement as it accelerated. Allen gripped the sides of the seat tightly in fear but couldn’t close his eyes, the world outside whipping by faster and faster.

Quinn’s voice calmly cut through the noise. “V-1…..rotate.”

A swooping feel as the nose came up and it felt like they fell for a second, the tail dropping as the rear wheels came off the ground. The dizzying rush of the ground passing at 120mph fell away and the world finally stopped moving so fast as they climbed at a 35 degree angle into the sky. Allen was finally able to calm himself and release his grip, hand coming up to wipe the sweat away from his eyes.

He was thankful Quinn had kept his word. That had indeed been different than the takeoff of the plane, but not as scary as he’d built it up in his head. The jet made a slight bank to the right and Allen looked out the window at the ground already far below. Wright Patterson was lit up like an airport, far bigger than Allen had thought it was. The white lights of the runway lined with hangars.

“Heading into the soup now Doc. This will be a bit weird.” Allen nodded before he remembered that Quinn couldn’t see him but kept quiet. 

The plane was heading straight for the bottom of the clouds, the flat grey color looking more and more like a wall as they got closer. Before his anxiety could get the best of him, the plane nudged into the cloud cover, the mist closing over them quickly. Water streaked the canopy like a car windshield, hiding everything outside. 

It felt like forever, but suddenly Allen was blinded by sunlight. The jet popping out of the top of the clouds into a completely different world. Towering columns of fluffy white turned gold and pink in the morning light. The sun was still low but it was bright and Allen raised a hand to shade his eyes, the canopy acting like a large soap bubble refracting the light. Quinn looked back at the movement and laughed. His face was completely covered by the dark visor sealing almost perfectly with the oxygen mask.

“Left side of your helmet, push the knob in and down.” 

Allen followed the instructions with slight difficulty, the motion unfamiliar, but grateful when the dark lense slid down to shield his eyes. The jet was flying level over the tops of the clouds, banking slightly from side to side to weave through them and Allen found he didn’t mind the slight shifting of his weight at all, attention outside on the unfamiliar landscape. It was beautiful.

“What time does the eclipse start Doc?” Allen could hear the grin in Quinn’s voice as he checked his watch.

“We should be seeing the event horizon any time now.” He squinted up at the sun, still bright through the tinted lense.

“This is a cool view Doc, but I got a better one for you if you’re ok with going higher.”

Allen stared at the back of Quinn’s head. “How high?”

“48,000 feet?”

“These can go that high?”

Quinn laughed. “They can go higher than that Doc, but I wouldn't do it with a passenger. Forty eight would put us above civilian traffic though.”

“How high are we now?” Quinn’s helmet didn’t move but Allen knew the pause was to check the gauges.

“10,500 feet right now.” Allen nodded and looked up out the canopy at the blue expanse above them.

“Ok, take me up.”

“Roger that.”

The Sabre made a gentle swoop upwards, Allen momentarily feeling heavier in his seat and the cloud tops fell away. The higher they rose, the darker the sky above got until Allen thought he might actually be able to see stars. The air took on a slightly tinny taste and the mask became more like a SCUBA mask, suctioning to his face with every breath, very noticeable that the air was coming from it now.

In the distance Allen could see a dark line across the clouds and glanced up again. The sun was easier to see through the visor, but he had brought his special glasses with him so he could look right at it. The sun looked smaller now, or maybe it had a bite out of it? Fumbling with the visor again, Allen managed to lift it and put the glasses on before looking upwards again. The plane was still rising, the sky at the edges of his vision taking on a black look now and Allen could see the ground curving away from them. This was the highest he would ever be in his life. He could almost imagine he was going into space.

The light dimmed considerably as they crossed the event horizon and Allen could see the chunk out of the sun clearly now. Quinn muttered in his ear about it but the jet remained steady. Allen could almost forget he was in a plane, except for the uncomfortableness of the seat, and the light sound of Quinn’s breathing in his helmet. The suction of the mask loud enough to be picked up by the mic.

Crossing into the main event was startling. It went from day to night in a second, darkness closing in and the lights on the wings became visible again. Allen smiled at Quinn’s soft “Holy shit,” the tone letting him know it wasn’t something to worry about. Looking out the canopy again as the jet leveled off Allen couldn’t restrain the gasp.

The sun was a dark circle, completely covered by the moon but the corona was visible. Without the interference of the atmosphere the individual curls of light could be seen and Allen only momentarily wished he could see this with the telescope at the university. Better yet, if the telescope had fit on this plane. Not possible considering the thing was nearly the size of the plane, but in this moment Allen believed he could almost feel what the Captain did when he flew.

His heart was racing, the happiness was making his chest hurt and he could feel that his smile was actually breaking the suction the mask had on his cheeks. He felt light. He felt incredible. He felt…

Happy.

The eclipse ended too soon for him, Quinn finally breaking Allen out of his rambling explanation to the pilot, peppered with his observations about what was going on. The pilot didn’t have glasses to look and had simply listened to Allen describe it. Whenever Allen trailed off, he’d prompted with another question that sent Allen off on a tangent again and Allen hadn’t realized they’d been up for nearly 3 hours until he looked at his watch with a gasp. The time had flown by.

“Sorry to say Doc, but we gotta head back down. Getting low on fuel.”

“Sure Captain.” Allen didn’t move his eyes from the sky as the nose of the Sabre dropped. The incredible sight faded and the colors lightened again until the jet was dropping back through the grey clouds. The rain had stopped and as they fell out at 5000 feet Allen remembered something.

“Isn’t this your check ride Captain? Don’t you have to do maneuvers or something?”

“Yeah, technically.” Quinn responded as the jet turned in a wide, gentle bank skimming the bottom of the clouds. “You wouldn't like the maneuvers. I’ve got another slot booked tomorrow morning so I’ll take it up then to finish it out.”

Allen stared at the back of Quinn’s dark grey helmet as the words sunk in. Quinn had another flight already booked tomorrow to do this again. He wasn’t doing a check ride today. He’d booked a flight slot and got permission to take Allen up for the eclipse because Allen was complaining. He’d done it to make Allen happy.

Stupid as he felt for not realizing sooner, Allen couldn’t help the soft smile he could feel creep across his face. Different worlds though the two men came from, they fit together well. It had taken a bit of time to realize it, Allen was sometimes slow on the uptake socially, but he realized now. Quinn considered Allen a friend, not just his partner. Looking to the side at the ground below, Allen made a decision.

“Hey Captain?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m pretty comfortable in here now. What do you say we do some of those maneuvers on the way back. Show me what you really do in these?”

A beat before Quinn’s voice came back. Allen could hear the grin. “Hang on to your glasses Doc, and remember - brace.”

Allen caught a small glimpse of Quinn’s face as the plane suddenly dropped out from under him. The Captain had pushed the visor up and Allen could see his eyes, the crinkles around them telling how big the smile was though it was still covered by the mask. As the light caught them, Allen thought he could see a bit of green for the first time in the left one. He’d never seen them sparkle like they were now. 

It was almost worth the sudden feeling of his heart in his throat. 

The happy yipps in his helmet as Quinn zigzagged through the mountain range below, the ground whipping by at impossible speeds though the ride was as smooth as it was above the clouds, made him smile again. Though he was sure he was going to dent the seat he was in with his grip, that same feeling of being at 48,000 feet and looking into space grabbed his attention. Something else was doing it this time. He glanced at Quinn again, seeing his face and the happiness in his eyes as he watched their wing distance to the ground. Well, someone else.

The plane flipped over as they crossed a mountain top and Allen was treated to the odd sight of the ground flashing by at 600mph OVERHEAD as he let out a startled yell.

Ok, it was definitely worth it.

Allen let go of the seat, hands going up to the canopy as the jet rolled back and dropped down the other side of the mountain back into the valley. It felt like the fastest, craziest roller coaster Allen had ever been on. He let go of the anxiety. Quinn would keep him safe here. 

His voice joined the pilot’s on the comms.

“Wooooooooo!”


End file.
